


Speed Trap

by B_does_the_write_thing



Series: The Commuters Series [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Remix, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-17
Updated: 2015-09-17
Packaged: 2018-04-21 07:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4819832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_does_the_write_thing/pseuds/B_does_the_write_thing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is prompted remix for Side of the Road. When Belle never got the courage to have car problems on the side of the road, Robert takes matters into his owns hands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Speed Trap

**Author's Note:**

  * For [prissygirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/prissygirl/gifts).



> Mr. Gold is desperate to meet his fellow commuter, Belle. He gets the sheriff to pull her over and find out who she is. The next day, Gold "accidentally" stumbles upon her at the library. Belle puts two and two together, but decides to play along for a bit.

 

In retrospect, expecting Sheriff David Nolan to be subtle was not his best idea. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and Robert Gold was completely out of ideas.

“Relax,” David told him, kicking his feet up on the desk as he grinned over the messy surface. “It’s not like I told her your name or anything.”

Robert closed his eyes as he inhaled slowly, mentally counting to ten. When he finally calmed down enough to avoid throwing his cane at the young man’s sickening grin, he opened them. “If you had just followed the plan-“

David shook his head. “Come on, Gold, she was terrified. Shaking like a leaf, and practically crying-“

“You made her cry?” Robert groaned, fingers flexing dangerously on his cane. “You were supposed to let her off with a warning-”

“Calm down, Gold,” David said, lifting his hands up in amused supplication. “Before I could say a word, she was rambling on and on about being a safe driver and how she’s never been pulled over before-“

“Nonsense,” Robert told him. “Woman drives like a bat out of hell.” David raised an eyebrow and Robert cleared his throat hurriedly. “Well, never mind that. The point is, I fail to understand how a simple request snowballed into this fiasco.”

As his desk phone began to ring, David held up one finger before leaning over to answer it. Robert turned, surveying the small office of Storybrooke’s Sheriff as he casually eavesdropped on the conversation.

The call proved uninteresting, just the local paper calling for a quote on the upcoming elections. Robert’s mind instead began to drift to its favorite topic, the Girl in the Mustang.

It had started innocently enough. Some silver sports car had cut him off one day. In a fit of pique, he had changed lanes, sped up to cut them back off, only to end up gawking at a young woman. She was remarkable. Long brunette hair blowing in the open window, radio blasting some nonsense pop tune that she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying and while she had oversized sunglasses perched on her nose, he had no doubt she was beautiful.

After that, he had started closing his shop everyday at five. Any customer lingering would be escorted out with a curt good day. For the past year, Robert had gotten on the interstate right behind the silver mustang with his heart in his mouth.

Sometimes, he saw her five cars back, convertible top down and hair blowing gaily in the breeze. Other times, she was ahead of him in the fast lane, talking happily on the phone or dancing along to her new favorite song.

However, his fascination was growing alarmingly dangerous. He had almost wrecked his Cadillac last week when he tried to merge over while watching her apply lip gloss with one hand as her other wrist balanced the wheel masterfully. And the week before he had almost followed her off at exit 8 which would have been borderline stalking. He had been furious at himself the rest of his drive home.

Hence his cashing in his outstanding favor Sheriff Nolan owed him. He rationed a simple traffic stop would yield her name, marital status, and possibly occupation without risking his involvement in any way.

Except David had entirely mucked it up.

“Sorry about that,” the man in question said, hanging up the phone. “Anyways, like I was saying, she was just grateful to get out of a ticket.”

Robert snorted at this. “I fail to see why you thought it necessary to tell her that you were asking for a friend…”

David grinned, clearly amused. “She wasn’t wearing a wedding ring,” David repeated to him. “I was just making sure she wasn’t seeing anyone.”

Wrinkling his nose, Robert exhaled forcibly. “I appreciate your assistance. I should be heading back to the shop. ”

Crossing his arms as he leaned backwards into his chair, David favored him with a knowing look. “You going to the library, aren’t you?”

Robert shrugged, his suit jacket tightening across his shoulders. “I may stop by,” he said noncommittally. “Remember, if you say a word about this to anyone-“

“I know, I know,” David sighed, shaking his head. “I’ll regret it. Can’t you just say thank you like a normal person?”

Robert sniffed at this. “You returned a favor,” he pointed out. “Hardly out of the good will of your heart.”

“Whatever you say, Gold,” David murmured, leaning back up to start sorting through papers. When Robert did not immediately leave, David looked up, tilting his head in silent question.

Robert opened his mouth, found no words and quickly closed it again. It was nearly two thirty and he had already been gone from the shop longer than usual but…

“How does one ask out a woman these days?” He finally blurted out as David Nolan found himself speechless for the second time in two days.

 

\--

Little over thirty minutes later, Gold shuffled into the Storybrooke Downtown Public Library. It was filled with children and parents, school having just finished. He maneuvered as best possible around the running children, avoiding curious stares as he hobbled towards the large round desk in the middle of the library foyer.

David had told him that Miss Belle French was the main librarian here. She lived at 5664 Club Lane, had no prior arrests and had four speeding tickets. He had not told him that her eyes were bluer than sapphires.

As she bent down to a child, hanging him his book with a smile as warm as the August heat wave they were experiencing, Robert realized he had made a terrible mistake. She was barely thirty, this beautiful creature.

What did he suppose she would say when he limped in here, a total stranger, and brazenly asked her out?

Before he could turn away and escape back into the daylight, she looked up from the departing child and caught his eye. If possible, her smile brightened as she chirped, “Hello!”

He twisted to look behind him but no one was there. When he turned back around, she was giggling, eyes dancing. “Can I help you with something?” She asked him hopefully.

“I-“ He started, clearing his throat as he tried to dismiss his rapidly escalating nerves. “I was just interested in getting a library card…”

“I can help with that,” she assured him. “Do you have your driver’s license?”

Nodding slowly, he fumbled for his back pocket. Her eyes darted briefly to his cane before back up to him, but her smile did not dim. Some mother approached the desk, and Belle turned to her with a quick apology,” Sorry, I’m helping this gentleman at the moment. I’ll be right with you.”

The woman moved to the side and Belle waved him closer. “Mm,” she said to herself as she took his license from his mercifully steady hand. Her smile grew huge as she read his name out loud, “Mr. Robert Gold.”

He nodded, trying not to swallow the lump in his throat. She smelled of sunflowers and something sweet. When she bent down to retrieve some forms, he found himself almost leaning over the counter and rapidly straightened before she noticed.

“Here we are,” she told him when she reappeared over the counter. “Fill these out and I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

She bustled away back to the woman waiting patiently on the side. After a few moments, as he scratched out his name and social security number, hesitating painfully over age and date of birth, she returned to collect the forms.

“Hmm,” she said. “Your age and without a library card!” She made a scolding noise in her throat but she was still smiling as she did so. “Shameful, Mr. Gold.”

“Robert,” he said automatically. No one ever called him that; his father had never even called him that. He was Gold to everyone he knew.

“Robert,” Belle repeated, gracing him with another small smile. “I’m really glad you decided to come in today.”

“As am I, Miss French,” he said warmly, offering her a rare smile of his own. But as he glanced back up at her, he realized she was staring at him now, hand in mid air as she blinked owlishly.

“Are you alright?” He asked her, putting his pen down.

“Fine,” she breathed, eyes searching his face. “I’m fine.”

He nodded vaguely, glancing back down in unease. What had he said-

Oh.

He glanced back up, eyes wide as he realized he shouldn’t have known her last name. Her name tag read Belle, but he had called her by her last name, something he shouldn’t know-

“On the other hand,” he said quickly, taking a step away from the counter. “Fifty is a bit old for a library card. Thank you very much for your time but I should be going-“

He twisted and began to hobble as quickly as possible towards the exit. Internally cursing himself for every kind of fool, he nearly had made the door when he heard the clicking of heels coming rapidly up behind him.

Before he could escape, a small hand appeared on his wrist. “Wait!” She exclaimed, eyes wide as she stared at him. They were nearly the same height, he glanced down to find her wearing stiletto heels, completely impracticable for her job but unfailingly alluring.

Realizing he was openly ogling her, he lifted his eyes back to her face, only to find she was doing the same. Her eyes were somewhere around his bicep when she realized he had caught her staring.

They both tried to speak at the same time, then both falling silent again as someone opened the door between them. He took a step back to let the newcomer pass, but Belle stayed where she was, shaking her head in amusement.

“Let’s try this again,” Belle decided, sticking her hand out. “I’m Belle French. I work at Storybrooke’s downtown library, I hate olives and I’ve wanted to meet the man who drives the gold Cadillac for almost a year now.”

Startled didn’t began to cover his current state of being but he nodded as if this was all perfectly new information and put his own hand out. “Robert Gold,’ he said, shaking hers firmly. Her skin was soft, but had a small callous on her middle finger, most likely from daily writing. “I own Gold’s Pawnshop down by the docks, I love olives and I was the one who had you pulled over yesterday.”

She didn’t remove her hand from him, just took a step closer. “I should be furious,” she told him earnestly. He looked away but she squeezed his hand. “But I’m so very glad that you did.”

He looked up, flabbergasted. He quickly schooled his expression into a more neutral, interested face but Belle was already giggling.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, leaning towards her as if he was being drawn closer to her.

“You,” she told him, biting her lip to hold back the next wave of giggles.

He raised a single eyebrow, trying to appear sardonic but only causing her to giggle harder. “You’re not making this easy,” he told her sternly. But his thumb was drawing small circles on the back of her hand.

“Making what easy?” She asked, blinking innocently.

“Asking you to dinner,” he replied smoothly. There, he had done it.

“Tonight at five?” She suggested breezily. “Gepetto’s?

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. “I’ll pick you up here?”

She agreed eagerly and they finalized plans.

“I should be getting back to work,” she finally said, gesturing with her chin over her shoulder.

“Me as well,” he agreed. Only when they both realized they were still holding hands, did they drop them and step backwards.

After another round of goodbyes, Belle moved back to her desk where a short line of people were looking around for assistance. Robert watched her for a moment. She was smiling blissfully as she reappeared behind the desk, tucking her hair behind her ear as she began to check books out. He opened the door to go outside, pausing and glancing over his shoulder to see her one last time. She glanced up at the sunlight streaming into the library and caught him staring. With her smile still firmly in place, she raised her hand in a small wave.

He felt his hand rise up slowly, giving her a small wave back.

As soon as the door fell shut behind him, David Nolan appeared and fell in step with him, “So, how’d it do?”

“Not that it is any of your business,” Robert told him without sparing him a glance. “But I have a date with the young lady tonight.”

“See,” David said, raising a cup of to go coffee up in a toast. “And you were worried!”

Robert allowed David to walk with him back to his shop but he continued to glance down at his watch.

Five couldn’t come soon enough.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I was nervous about writing this because I loved the little one-shot so much but I though- oh why not. So, let me know what you guys thinks! (or just go back and reread Side of the Road)


End file.
